Luxury automakers rush to capture Chinese demand

The Shanghai Auto Show is in full swing this week, and automakers from around the world are showing off their latest products. The Chinese auto market is a young one, but it is already the world's biggest, and a key region for an industry that is still recovering in the U.S., and collapsing in Europe.

The buzz around the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week has hit a positive pitch not heard since the global economic crisis gutted the industry a few years back.

Automakers are bringing SUVs and luxury sedans designed for Chinese buyers to China's biggest auto show this year as they scramble to keep sales growing amid a slump in this giant market's once-explosive demand.

The established German luxury brands — Mercedes-Benz and BMW — have sold cars in the US for decades. So how could Tesla Motors possibly be beating them at their own game?

Luxury automakers like Mercedes, BMW, and Cadillac would hate for their cars to be described as merely “average.” Yet new models from these and other upscale auto manufacturers are average in a way that’s undeniably appealing to consumers: They all have starting prices for around $30,000. The average price paid for a new car is $30,803, according to Edmunds.com. Perhaps it’s no coincidence then that $30K is being called the new “sweet spot” for introductory model luxury cars.

Luxury automakers like Mercedes, BMW, and Cadillac would hate for their cars to be described as merely “average.” Yet new models from these and other upscale auto manufacturers are average in a way that’s undeniably appealing to consumers: They all have starting prices for around $30,000. The average price paid for a new car is $30,803, according to Edmunds.com. Perhaps it’s no coincidence then that $30K is being called the new “sweet spot” for introductory model luxury cars.